Silent Angel
by Bloodyrose666
Summary: When he was seven, Cloud's verbally abusive father forced him into a state of autism. He can no longer speak, which causes his mother great distress. That is, until he meets Squall. Squall draws Cloud of his shell, and they fall in love. S&C, maybe Zell
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"You little bastard! You realize it was your fault your team lost!"

"Luc, calm down!"

"No! My son is supposed to be a star athlete, yet he didn't make a single goal! Not one!"

The little blonde watching was sure the explosive fights that always raged between his parents were his fault. Every time something came out of his mouth, his father would yell at him or his mother. The boy was adamant that if he stopped talking, all the family's troubles would dissipate.

He walked over to his mother and tugged on her sleeve. "Mommy?"

"Yes, Cloud?"

"I… I don't feel so good…"

Mrs. Strife looked down in time to see Cloud topple over, his eyes rolling back into his head. She screamed and looked at Luc. "Call an ambulance!"

"No."

"What?"

"No. It's God's punishment on him for being bad."

"Luc!"

"No."

The woman stood up, tears streaming down her face. "I hate you. When Cloud is out of the hospital, we're getting a divorce."

"Fine by me. Whore."

The woman strained to pick up Cloud, and when she finally did, she fled the house, still crying. She flagged down a cab and got into it, clutching her son's limp body. Through her tears, she managed to gasp, "Hospital, please."

"Geez, lady, are you okay?"

"Yes. There's something wrong with my son, though."

"Oh, damn. This ride'll be free."

"Thank you, sir. There really are kind people left."

The taxi screeched off into the dank and oppressing fog that was coating the city in a sinister frosting.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The doctor adjusted his glasses, peering down at his clipboard. "Well, he seems to be okay now. He's sitting up, but he's just staring off into space. He won't speak to any of us, and when we tried to make eye contact with him, he would jerk his head away forcefully…"

"So…?"

"Cari, I'm sorry…"

Cloud's mother brought a hand to her mouth. "What does it mean? Brain damage?"

"No. We have reason to believe Cloud is autistic. He wasn't born this way; something forced him into it. Has he been showing any unusual symptoms, such as being so focused on one activity that he totally forgets about another, or not speaking to anyone for long periods of time, even people he's extremely close to?"

Cari's mind flashed back to that afternoon, when Cloud had been in a soccer game. He was usually the strongest player on the team, but he had seemed so focused on his footwork that he had completely missed the goal. Afterwards, he wouldn't speak to anyone and just sat in the car, staring at the ceiling.

She started crying. "Oh my god… Doctor, he _has_ been acting like that."

"I'm so sorry, Cari… He may not be able to speak again… When he collapsed, he was having a minor seizure… He shut down that part of his brain. He may be able to speak again, but only with intensive training and a huge amount of luck. We sent a nurse in earlier with a pad of paper and a pen to see what was wrong. He thinks it's his fault you and Luc are breaking up."

"So… So this is my fault?"

The doctor looked nervous about what the results would be. "Um… Partly…"

"Oh god… I'm going to be sick…" She ran into the bathroom and a few seconds later, the sounds of retching issued.


	2. Chapter 2

"Have you seen the new boy?"

"Yeah! He's so hot!"

"I heard that him and Squall Leonhart have the same homeroom!"

Little groups of girls were scattered through the hallways of Roxas High, chattering and giggling as the blonde boy passed, his head down and his backpack slung over one shoulder.

He was handsome, blonde, blue-eyed, toned, but quiet. Boys like him were usually loud and some what boisterous, knowing they were hot and taking full advantage of it.

It was only whilst in his first period class that he revealed the reason he wouldn't talk.

"This is is Cloud Strife. He just transferred from Hayner High School and needs someone to show him around."

A brown-haired boy sitting in the back of the class looked up from the note his girlfriend had just passed him and rolled his eyes. Some bleeding heart would raise their hand and offer to show the new boy around, thus starting some sort of rumor about the boy in question and forcing him, Squall Leonhart, to squash it. It always happened; Squall was the only person people would listen to, as he was the president of the student council.

And, if someone _didn't_ raise their hand, he would be forced to show 'Cloud Strife' around the entire bloody school, cutting into _his_ time and just being annoying. It was a joke. If the kid wanted to know where he was going, he should just get a map of the school.

Unfortunately for Squall, nobody did raise their hand. The teacher looked Squall dead on and grinned. "Mr. Leonhart, you're in charge of showing him around." She turned to Cloud and smiled. "Cloud, go take a seat beside Squall."

Cloud nodded once firmly and made his way to the back of the classroom, sitting in the desk next to Squall's. The brunette spoke to him softly. "So, you're from Roxas High?"

Cloud nodded and began writing in his spiral, not speaking. Squall tried again. "Did you like it there?"

Cloud merely shrugged. Squall was growing impatient. "Can you even talk?"

Cloud looked up at him and Squall was struck by how _sad_ his blue eyes were. Cloud shook his head slowly and scribbled something on a piece of paper. He handed it to Squall, who read it slowly.

_No. I'm autistic._(A/N: Since Cloud can't speak, he writes stuff down on paper to communicate. Cloud 'speaking' is italicized.)

"A-Autistic?"

_Lightly retarded. _At the look on Squall's face, he hurriedly scribbled, _I'm not any dumber than you, I just can't talk and I have seizures sometimes. I'm also really aggressive._

"I see... Won't mess with you, then."

Cloud smiled slightly and went back to whatever he had been doing before. Squall went back to watching the teacher, thinking that maybe 'Cloud Strife' wasn't so bad after all.

Squall gave up his usual table at lunch to sit with Cloud and get to know him better. They were in the midst of 'talking' when Marlene Wallace, a freshman who looked like she belonged in fifth grade, tripped and landed on Squall and Cloud's table, sending their food flying. Squall got most of it, and when Cloud, who had gotten up to help Marlene, looked up again, the brunette's face was covered in chocolate pudding. His eyes were wide, and he had clenched his fists, looking like he was about to go off like a bomb. Then, his fists unclenched and Squall laughed slightly. "Heh. My clothes."

Cloud found it near impossible to keep from laughing, though he hadn't chuckled so much as once since he had stopped talking. Finally, the laughter burst forth, and he was almost crying with it. Squall looked down at the blonde boy who had apparently gone mad at his feet and smiled. He kneeled next to him and asked, "You can laugh?"

Cloud shrugged and pulled a leaf of clean noteebook paper out of his backpack. Taking a pen out of his pocket, he wrote something down and handed it to Squall. _I haven't laughed in ten years._

"Oh, I made you laugh? So, I'm helping you?"

_Yeah. I think._

"Cool!"

After school, Cloud headed out front and sat on one of the walls surrounding the parameter of the school, waiting for the crowds to disperse so he could start walking home.

He pulled out his spiral and started writing when another boy with blonde hair came up and grabbed Cloud's hair violently. The boy had a diagonal scar running between his eyes, running left to right.

Cloud looked up at the boy, who abruptly spat in his face. Cloud wiped it out of his eyes and immediately retaliated, grabbing the boy's throat in a vice-like grip.

The boy began choking, and a malicous smile spread across Cloud's face. The boy began clawing at Cloud's hands and spoke, his voice hoarse and rasping. "Hey, man... Ease up... I... I'm Seifer Almasy... Damn... If you don't let go..."

Spit dribbled out of the corner of Seifer's mouth, which only made Cloud's smile broaden.

Squall, who was walking out of the school in order to get into his car, saw Cloud with a hand around Seifer's throat. He ran over, heart pounding, and grabbed Cloud's wrist.

Cloud looked at him, and his smile and grip both slipped. Seifer dropped to the ground and crawled away, coughing and massaging his bruised throat.

Cloud saw the shocked look on Squall's face and started crying soundlessly. Squall's countenance softened and, unconcious of what he was doing, pulled the boy to him, unaware that half the school was watching, including his girlfriend, Rinoa Heartily.

After a few minutes, Squall realized what he was doing and pulled away from Cloud, blushing furiously. "Uh...eh-heh..."

He clapped Cloud, who was still sobbing, on the back. "Do you want a ride home?"

Cloud nodded sadly and followed Squall to his car like a lost kitten. The school grounds instantly began buzzing with rumors about what sort of relationship the pair had.

Hah, it was so funny on Thursday! My best chick friend was crying in fourth period because of a guy. Now, this happens about once a week, because Diana is absolutely obsessed with guys.Though, this reason was definitely the strangest reason why she was crying. It turns out that the boy was gay. Not just like he had gone out with a boy because of curiosity, but full-blown gay. I was thrilled, but Diana was in tears. Now, Diana believes I'm her personal psychologist, for reasons unknown to me. I've never been on a date with a guy, let alone been rejected. One of my other chick friends said it's because I have mostly guy friends and I know how they think, which is what I'm apt to believe. Anyway, I manage to convince Diana that this was just something to show that her boyfriend was the one, and the tears stopped. My life is so jacked up...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Squall pulled up in front of Cloud's house and smiled at him. "Hey, stop crying. It's okay. You didn't know what you were doing."

Cloud shook his head, but didn't do anything further. Squall frowned, staring at the blonde boy with his head down in the passenger seat. "Okay, c'mon, then. Let's go inside. I'm not leaving until you cheer up."

He got out of the car and opened Cloud's door. "Let's go, man. Get inside the house."

Cloud didn't move, so Squall leaned down, unbuckling Cloud's seatbelt and lifting him bridal style. Cloud started struggling, and he put his hands on Squall's face, trying to push him away.

Squall had to admit that he was strong, stronger than he had expected from a boy 10 pounds lighter and an inch shorter than him.

He continued up the walk to the house, still attempting to stop Cloud from struggling. A woman, around 36, ran out to greet him. "Cloud! How was… school?"

She stopped dead in her tracks and stared suspiciously at Squall. "What're you doing to my son?"

"Nothing. He wouldn't get out of my car, so I had to resort to force."

"Did... Did something happen at school?"

"Yeah. But can we talk inside? This guy's heavy."

"Well, I… I suppose… Who are you, exactly?"

"Squall Leonhart. I'm Cloud's friend."

"Friend?"

Squall noticed the look on her face and came closer. "Are you _crying_?"

"Nobody has claimed to be his friend since he became autistic. Thank you."

"Uh… You're welcome, I think."

"Oh, my manners! I'm Cari Strife, Cloud's mom."

"Oh… That's nice."

"Please, do come in!"

Squall followed Cari into the house, still holding Cloud, who had stopped struggling and was lying in Squall's arms limply. Somebody could have held a gun to his head and he wouldn't have made a move.

…………………………………………………………………………………………...

"I really think you'll be the one who gets Cloud to talk."

"Nah. It won't be me. Besides, he's forgotten how to."

Cari shook her head. "No. He knows how to. His voice is just rusty. A good shock should snap him out of it."

Squall shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"Just, _please_, you have to stay with him for as long as you possibly can.

"Stay with him?"

"Be his friend."

_Squall?_

Squall took the piece of paper and read it. "Yeah?"

_Stay for dinner?_

"No. I couldn't impose…"

"Oh, parents will worry?"

"I live alone."

Cari brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry… Are you an orphan?"

Squall laughed. "No. My dad was always bitching at me, so I moved out."

"Oh… In that case, please, do impose."

"No… I really couldn't…"

"Oh, c'mon. Cloud, do you want him to stay?"

Cloud nodded, smiling. Squall, who was beginning to find it hard to say no to Cloud, smiled back. "Fine. I'll stay."

Cloud pumped a fist in the air and grinned. Squall sat back down at the table, and soon, he was enjoying the company of a real family.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A week passed, and Squall was over at Clouds house almost every day, talking with Cari or playing football with Cloud, who turned out to be an incredibly good player. Squall discovered that Cloud was helping him to shed his usually reclusive, stand-offish shell, and he felt indebted to the blonde.

Squall and Cloud burst into Squall's apartment, kissing passionately and heatedly, shedding each others clothes. Squall pushed Cloud down onto the small, abrasive couch and unzipped his pants. They were still kissing when Squall began to kiss Cloud's chest. Cloud pushed him off, breathing heavily. "Squall... I don't... I don't know how..."

Squall was finding Cloud's voice deliciously sexy and this was adding fuel to his proverbial fire. "Don't worry... I'll teach you..."

Cloud arched his back and moaned. "God, Squall..."

"Damn... I want you... Please..."

Squall grabbed Cloud's arousal mischievously and the blonde's restraint broke. He pulled Squall back to his mouth and began ravishing him.

* * *

"What the...?" Squall sat up in bed, morning light streaming through his window.

He got out of bed and went into the bathroom, splashing some cold water from the sink onto his face. "Why would I have a dream like that? Unless..."

The color drained from his face and he dropped to the ground in shock. "Oh my god... Am I gay?"

The phone rang suddenly and Squall ran into the main room, pulling on a pair of leather pants as he went. When he picked it up, Cari Strife's voice rang out in his ear. She sounded teary and terrified. "Squall?"

"What?"

"It's Cloud."

Fear jolted through Squall's body, lighting his senses on fire. "What happened?"

"He... He had a seizure. It's not looking too good." Her voice cracked. "The doctors are saying that he has only a small chance of recovery."

"Where are you?"

"Brookridge Main Hospital. Please, get down here as soon as you can."

Squall hung up, grabbed his car keys, and ran out of the house, pulling a white muscle shirt on as he went.

* * *

"What room is he in?"

"That one. But you can't go in yet!"

Squall ignored her protests and ran into the room. The sight that greeted his eyes was unfamiliar and unwelcome. Cloud was lying in the hospital bed, his face pale and his chest hardly rising. An IV was hooked up to his wrist, and he looked dead.

Squall came over to him, his own face pale. "C-Cloud?"

The boy didn't respond, and Squall collapsed next to his comatose body.

* * *

For the next four days, Squall didn't eat, sleep, nor leave Cloud's side for more than a minute. Rinoa would stop by every so often to try to coax him to eat, or take a walk with her, but the brunette would stubbornly refuse. The doctors watching Cloud's condition were amazed. The boy had arrived at the hospital with less than a ten percent chance of survival, but, as the days passed and as Squall became more and more frantic, Cloud's condition improved.

At the end of four days (though it was more than that; Cloud woke up in the morning of the fifth day) Cloud woke up to find Squall, emaciated and pale, passed out on his chest.

Cloud passed a hand through his hair, then shook his shoulder. Squall woke up slowly, then looked up at Cloud sleepily. "C-Cloud? Are you okay?"

Cloud nodded and Squall embraced him, trying to repress his tears. "Thank god! I thought... I thought you were gonna die!"

Cloud smiled and hugged Squall back, rubbing his back comfortingly.

Cari entered the room to find them like this. She blushed, jumping to conclusions almost immediately. Cloud smiled at her and gestured her over to his bedside.

He hugged his mother, and a doctor who had been surveying Cloud's condition entered the room, holding a clipboard. "Is he conscious?"

Squall spoke sarcastically. "Does he _look_ conscious?"

"Ah, good. You two are lucky. It was almost 100 percent likely that he was going to die when he arrived here. What happened?"

Squall looked up. "Who knows? You're the doctor."

The doctor smiled. "So I am. Well, I'll go run some tests. I _will_ have to keep your son overnight, Ms. Strife."

"Okay." She looked at Cloud and smiled. "I have to go into work, but I'll come back to see you tonight."

Cloud nodded and made a shooing gesture with his hands. Cari kissed him and Squall on the forehead and left the room, smiling happily.

The doctor looked at Squall, who had his arms around Cloud, and his smile broadened. "I'll tell you what, Squall. Since you seem so endeavored with Cloud, I'll let you stay with him for another night."

Squall nodded. "Thanks."

The doctor left the room and Squall ruffled Cloud's hair playfully. "You had me worried, Cloud."

Cloud noticed the unhappy look on Squall's face and hugged him, wishing he could force himself to say something, but knowing he couldn't.

The blonde _could_, however, force himself to make the next move. He wrestled Squall down onto the bed, grabbed a pad of sticky notes that was lying on his bedside and a pen, and stuck _Hey, cheer up_ on the front of Squall's t-shirt.

Squall smiled up at Cloud and said, "Okay, I will. Anything for you, 'love'."

Cloud stuck his tongue out at Squall and wrinkled his nose in distaste. Squall laughed, pulling Cloud down next to him. "You don't like me calling you that? Why not?"

Cloud flicked the side of Squall's head softly and Squall spoke again. "Hey, do you mind if we share a bed tonight? I don't want to sleep in the chair."

Cloud made an OK sign with his thumb and forefinger. _Fine. Just don't pull anything._

"I won't pull anything... major."

The boys started laughing, and Squall sighed slightly. Cloud's laugh was incredibly relaxing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Six

Squall was passed out, his head on Cloud's chest, his hand on his stomach. Cloud was sleeping, too, an arm around the other boy protectively. Squall was wearing nothing but the boxers he had arrived at the hospital in a few days ago, and Cloud in only hospital clothing.

They were like this when a night nurse found them. She hadn't been informed that Squall would be staying over, but even though it was her job to remove unwelcome visitors, she was slightly turned on by the sight, thinking that the boys looked like angels in the slight light coming through the window from the street.

She shook both boys awake softly, becoming slightly disappointed when they both woke up almost immediately. Squall opened his mouth, unsure of what was going on. "What?"

"Uh, sir, only family members are allowed to stay with the patients overnight. You don't look like a family member."

"A doctor said I could stay."

"Oh, really? What was his name?"

"Uh... Uh, I don't know..."

"So, are you a family member, or are you in here without anybody's permission?"

"I'm... I'm his fiancee."

Cloud turned a bright, bright red, and the nurse felt herself turn red. "You are?"

"Yeah. We're getting 'married' when we turn eighteen."

"Oh... I'm sorry for waking you, then. Please, forgive me." She turned and left the room, blushing furiously.

Cloud punched Squall's shoulder and looked at him quizzically. Squall found that he was blushing himself. "Sorry... I couldn't think of anything else."

Cloud shrugged and rolled over, smiling slightly at the thought of being engaged to Squall.

In about five minutes, both boys were asleep again.

* * *

The next day, Squall stayed home with Cloud, missing his third day of school in less than a week. He was trying to help him catch up with his homework, but Cloud was whizzing through without needing any help. When he was finished, he grinned up at Squall.

Squall, who was entirely relieved Cloud had made a full recovery, smiled back at him. "You want to go out, Cloud?"

Cloud scrawled something down on a piece of paper and pushed it across the table to Squall. _Why, Squall, are you asking me out on a date?_

"Yes; yes I am."

Cloud nodded and his smiled broadened. The pair headed off, getting in Squall's car.

Once at the restaurant, Squall found that he was doing a whole lot of 'couple-ish' things for Cloud, even though the blonde was protesting vehemently.

They were eating when Cloud scribbled _What kind of girl do you like? _on a napkin.

Squall looked up at him, brown eyes thoughtful. "Hmm... Our eyes meet across a crowded room. She's beautiful, but not model-ish, more rugged. If I didn't believe in love at first sight before I saw her, I sure do now. We're not an idealistic pair; me being a a surly, brown-haired recluse; her, a social, energetic blonde. She's blonde, blue-eyed, and dressed in boys clothes: cargo pants, a torn, ragged muscle shirt, and ripped converse. Her eyes are wells of creativity, and I can't help myself. I push across the room towards her and introduce myself. Her name is Kumó, and she's an aspiring author. The ink on her hands and the manuscript under her arm give this away. She needs a ride home, so I give her one."

He looked over at Cloud and smiled slightly. "Corny, isn't it?"

Cloud shook his head furiously, over exaggerating greatly. Squall realized that he had subconsciously described _Cloud _as his 'dream girl', and blushed, face turning almost maroon.

Cloud looked at him quizzically and Squall shook his head. "It's nothing. Hey, keep eating. You found out what you wanted."

_ Aren't you going to ask me what I like?_

Squall smiled. "Fine. Cloud, what do you like?"

_ I want a girl that's like you._

"Why?"

_ Because you're nice to me, and you're cool, and everybody likes you. I want her to have brown hair and blue eyes and act like you... I sound gay, don't I?_

"No way. You sound like my best friend, Cloud Strife, who's mom is probably home by now. C'mon, man, she'll get worried. You didn't leave me a note."

Cloud nodded, and the boys took their leave.

* * *

Squall dropped Cloud off and went home, collapsing on the couch in his otherwise empty (besides a small TV) living room. He was incredibly tired (Four sleepless nights was catching up with him), but still found the strength to pick up the phone.

He dialed Rinoa Heartily's number frantically. She picked up and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Rinoa?"

She sounded surprised. "Squall? Did something happen?"

"Yeah."

"Something to do with Cloud's condition?"

"No. Cloud's out of the hospital. But this _is_ about Cloud."

"Did something happen between you two?"

"I think... I think I'm in love with him."

Rinoa laughed. "You're kidding! You're the straightest guy I know!"

"I thought that too. But he's so cute, and I only smile when I'm thinking about him, or when I'm with him, and when I was eating lunch with him earlier, I described him as the girl of my dreams."

"Oooo, Squall... You really _do_ have a thing for him!"

"I know... What do I do?"

"Tell him. Odds are he feels the same way." She paused for a second, sighed, then spoke fondly. "That boy is working wonders on you, Squall."

"What do you mean?"

"Before he came along, you were cold, aggressive, and harsh. Now, you actually smile, you talk to people, and you've been drawn out of your shell. If you ask me, Cloud is the best thing that's happened to you in your life. So, tell him how you feel. Throw your social status to the wind. You love a man."

"But I can't! It's not possible! This is me we're talking about! Me! You know, Squall Leonhart? The man you kissed in first grade?"

"See? Before Cloud came along, if anyone so much as mentioned that, you'd be ready to smash their face in."

"I... I have to go. I need to think."

"Okay. I understand." There was a soft click as Rinoa hung up. Squall dropped back onto the couch, massaging his temple with his right hand.

He thought long and hard, then picked the phone up again. He dialed Cloud's number, and Cari picked up. "Hello."

"It's Squall."

"Why're you calling? You can't talk to Cloud."

"No. I need to talk to you."

"Is something wrong?"

"Not necessarily. I was just wondering how bad Cloud would have to be shocked to break him out of his silence."

"Pretty badly."

"Hmm... I have a plan..."

He told her his idea, and when he was finished, Cari spoke disbelievingly. "Squall, you can't do this!"

"Why not?"

"You'd kill your popularity! You really don't want to give that up for Cloud, do you?"

When Squall spoke, his voice was so soft and full of fondness that Cari was nearly struck speechless. "Cari, I would give my life up for Cloud. He means so much to me."

"Wow... If you're sure..."

"I am."

"He paused, then spoke again questioningly. "Yesterday morning, you looked so happy. What happened?"

"Oh, that. My boyfriend's coming to town in six months. I'm really happy that I'm finally going to meet him!"

"Cool. What's his name?"

"Laguna."

"Hmm, sounds familiar. Well, congratulations. I'd like to meet him."

"Okay."

"Bye."

"Bye... I hope your plan works..."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Squall picked Cloud up for school the next morning at seven, rethinking the details of his plan over in his head. They finally arrived at school, amid whispers of, "I heard that they _live_ together!" and, "Oh my god! They're so hot!"

A short blonde boy with a black tattoo up the side of his face was watching them, jealousy welling up in her eyes. He had been in love with Squall since he had first lay eyes on him three years ago, and now this other man had come out of no where and taken his place.

His name was Zell Dincht, and the events that followed the start of Squall's plan would practically break his heart.

* * *

Practically ever pair of eyes in the front of the school were focused on Squall and Cloud as they walked towards the entrance to the school. Squall decided that this was the perfect opportunity to put his plan into action.

He looked at Cloud and said, "Cloud? Hey, look at me."

The blonde looked up at him questioningly, and that was when Squall struck. He placed his hands on the sides of Cloud's face and kissed him hard on the lips. Cloud's eyes went incredibly wide, and he placed his hands on Squall's chest, pressing on him slightly, but not really struggling.

Finally, Squall broke away, and Cloud fell backwards, his jaw working aimlessly. Finally, he managed to say something, his voice cracked and hoarse from years of disuse. "S-Squall?"

His jaw dropped, and he clutched at his throat, amazed. He spoke again, his voice slightly better. "Squall? O-o-oh…"

Cloud stood up and threw his arms around Squall, his entire body racked in sobs. "Th…than…thanks…Squall…"

* * *

Zell, who had spontaneously burst into a heavy nosebleed when Cloud and Squall kissed now walked off, trying to stem the flow and glowering. He had lost the one thing he had actually been working for to a newcomer, and the naked truth of that did not make him happy.

At the last second possible, he turned around, scooped up a small rock, and hurled it at the pair, fleeing angrily after he saw it hit.

* * *

The rock clipped Squall's forehead, it's slightly sharp edge inflicting a hairline scratch over his left eye. "Ouch!"

Cloud looked up and ran his finger over the cut, wiping off the blood. "S'o… S'okay, Squall… S'okay…"

Squall smiled. "Heh… I wonder who threw that at me. Bastard."

"S'okay…"

"C'mon. I have to go find someone."

* * *

That 'someone' was Seifer. Squall spotted him talking to Fujin and Raijin, his two lackeys, and went over. The confrontation only lasted a few seconds.

Squall grabbed the front of Seifer's shirt with both hands and slammed him against the lockers violently. "Why'd you assault Cloud?"

Seifer looked at him blankly. "Huh?"

"Last week! Why'd you do that?"

"'Cause he thinks he's so bad ass, strutting around here like he's a fuckin' king, not talking to anyone! And then there's you, Leonhart. Acting like Strife is the fucking most intelligent, most precious thing out there! You two are disgusting, faggot!"

Squall started shaking Seifer, making the boys teeth clack together like castanets. "Shut up! What the hell do you know about our relationship?"

"A hell of a lot more than you'd like me to, apparently."

"Fuck you! _Fuck _you!"

Seifer responded calmly, knowing that it was bothering Squall. "When and where?"

That did it. Squall pulled his fist back, and Seifer readied himself for impact.

Cloud, who didn't want Squall to get in a worse situation than the one he was in now, lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Squall's waist and burying his face in his back. "Stoppit! Stoppit, Squall!"

Squall let go of Seifer, his heart pounding at Cloud's sudden touch. "Okay…"

A teacher came out of his classroom, yelling, "What are you doing?"

Seifer looked up, his eyes wide. "Mr. Highwind! He jumped me!"

"Shut up, Almasy. He was probably trying to get back for what you did last week."

Seifer put on a face of pure innocence. "What're you talking about?"

"Don't you play the victim with me. I saw you grab this boy's hair on Monday!" He glanced over at the boy in question, who was being taught the sounds of various letters by Squall.

Seifer quickly looked at the pair, then his gaze went back to the teacher. His look of innocence had been replaced by one of intense anger. "Boy? You call that _fruitcake_ a _boy_? Look at him! He was just touching another man, for crying out loud!"

"So? Doesn't make him any less of a guy! He's still got all the parts you do!"

Fujin and Raijin were trying to smother their giggles with the backs of their hands. This conversation was totally unnecessary, as both of them knew for a fact that Seifer liked Squall.

Squall was trying to teach Cloud to get his mouth around the word 'why' when he heard Seifer say, "Highwind, are you _gay_?"

Squall laughed. "Damn. He's dead."

"Wh-Wh-Why?"

"Good job! But just watch. You'll see."

The teacher went off like a loaded gun. "_What_ did you say!"

"Are. You. _Gay_."

"What do you think, Almasy?"

"Um… Yes?"

The teacher glared at him, flushing red with anger. "Well, you thought wrong. _And_ you've landed yourself a trip to D-hall." (A/N: Detention.)

"Damn. What about them?"

Another teacher came out of his classroom. He contrasted sharply with the first, the former being blonde, close-cut, and dressed in blue, while the latter was tall, silver haired (which came down to his shoulder) and dressed in all black. He also looked younger than Highwind. (A/N: Highwind (Cid, if you haven't already realized it) is five foot eight and thirty-four. Kadaj is about Cloud's height and somewhere between eighteen and twenty, though for my purposes, I'm making him twenty two.)

Cloud almost mistook the silver-haired teacher for a woman, until he spoke. His voice was dark and pleasantly enticing, though he sounded playful. "Is there something wrong, Cid?"

Cid looked up, and his eyes went wide. "N-no, Kadaj. I'm giving this boy D-hall."

Kadaj laughed. "You're blushing, Cid."

"I'm mad."

Kadaj turned to look at Seifer. "You're dismissed this time, Almasy. Now go. And, Cid, don't go easy on him next time. Suspend him if he does it again."

"Okay."

Kadaj glanced at Cloud and smirked. "Get to class, Blondie. Wouldn't want you to be late, now, would we?"

Suddenly, a woman's voice came on over the P.A. "Eleventh graders, please report to the auditorium. You'll be briefed on your festival."

Squall began walking in that general direction, pulling Cloud after him. "Let's go!"

The two boys walked off, Squall trying to get Cloud to say Leonhart. The blonde was struggling, not quite getting his tongue around the 'Leon' part. (A/N: That was not intentional, I swear.)

* * *

**Fun Facts for Chapter Six!**

Yeah! Alright, an insight into my writing. For those of you who are not yet aware of who Kadaj is, he is the silver haired guy in Advent Children. His hair comes down to the base of his neck, and I _think_ that one of his eyes is green and the other is blue. Again, I'm not one hundred percent sure about that, so please, if I'm wrong, tell me. I'm only going by a screenshot where Kadaj is all like "What you sayin' 'bout my momma?" Seriously, that's what he looks like. Anyway, Sephiroth was supposed to be in this chapter in place of Kadaj, but I decided that he would fit better in another part of my story.

Oh, and I also think that Seifer was out of character during this chapter. I'm sure that if I say this now, after I've already typed two Final Fantasy stories and I'm working on another two, I will get shot, but what the hell. I have only played FF 10 and 10-2. I'm not kidding. I only know what my characters are like from other fanfics, Kingdom Hearts, and a few assorted websites. I know it's horrible, but I have good news. I bought a PS1 memory card on Sunday, and my friend is lending me 7 and 8. So my writer should be better after I get used to the characters mannerisms. Until then, please bear with my sometimes outrageous OOC-ness. It's not my fault. Well, maybe it is, but… whatever. Sorry, went Squall-ish there.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you for the reviews. And please, don't be angry for me taking so long... I've been busy typing up an original story for a writer's clinic...

Chapter Seven

All students who actually cared about the school festival showed up in the auditorium. When the chatter had died down, the principal got up in front of the students, smiling broadly. "Okay. Jobs will be decided for the different exhibits today."

The audience groaned. This part of the festival always sucked. They were usually forced to do jobs they hated, and that was no fun.

The principal waved this off and spoke. "Shut up. You're allowed to choose where you work. First, the Haunted House exhibit. We need seven _men_ to set up and be in the exhibit." (A/N: Okay, I was just watching the end of FFVIII on the internet and couldn't help but notice the way Squall's walking. Yeah, I know he's exhausted, but it looks like the leather is starting to chafe, if you know what I mean.)

Squall and Cloud stood up, followed by Zell, a red-haired boy with a smirk playing across his face, a bald man who looked older than most of them, a black haired boy with brilliant purple-blue eyes, and another raven haired man dressed in red. The principal surveyed themand smiled. "Alright, then. Names, please."

Squall smiled. "Squall Leonhart."

Cloud attempted to speak, but stumbled over his words. He looked up at Squall pleadingly, and the brunette laughed. "And this is Cloud Strife."

Zell spoke next, his voice slightly tense with anger and jealousy. "I'm Zell Dincht."

The red head spoke next with a jerk of his head. "Reno, yo."

His friend, the bald man, was standing next to him. He looked at Reno, laughed slightly, then spoke. "Rude, _yo_." (A/N: For those of you who don't know, in the Japanese version of FF7, Reno finishes most of his sentences with 'yo', or 'zo' in Japanese.)

The first black haired boy laughed and smiled. "I'm Zack."

The other man, who was standing one seat away from Zack, spoke. His voice was deep and slightly grating. "I'm Vincent. Vincent Valentine."

A boy sitting behind him snickered and whispered, "Bond. James Bond." eliciting laughs from the students sitting around him. Vincent glared at him, and the boy rolled his eyes. "What a freak."

Vincent looked down, a blush creeping across his pale face. Zack tapped him on the shoulder and smiled when the teenager looked up. "I don't think you're a freak."

Vincent's blush deepened, and he didn't answer back. The principal took note of all the names and went on. Another hour passed before all the jobs were assigned, and once they were, the students were released to their classes, which were cut short for the rest of the day.

That afternoon, the seven men met up in the cafeteria, which was where the Haunted House would be. Squall and Cloud arrived there first, followed by Zell. Zack arrived next, with Vincent following him sheepishly, like a lost kitten. Rude came next, and Reno last. The latter bumped into the doorjamb as he entered the room and smiled at the others furtively. "Ouch. So, what are we doing, yo?"

Squall shrugged. "Nothing, yet."

Rude spoke, his voice deep. "We've got to make it scary, okay? Not like one of those wimpy ones at the circus."

Reno nodded. "Yeah. But let's turn people on, too. We've got seven of the sexiest guys at school working for this one booth, so let's use that to our advantage. Take Vincent. He looks like a fucking vampire!"

Zack smiled. "You've got a point there, Reno."

"I know I do."

Squall frowned. "So, what, we start brainstorming?"

Zell nodded. "Yeah."

"And we use sex?"

Zack smiled and came over to Squall. He looked at him closely then laughed. "Of course we use sex! Especially after checking you out. I think we'll do quite nicely."

Cloud nodded. "R-Right."

Squall glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "Good job."

Cloud smiled. "Tha-Thanks."

Zell's eyes narrowed. He had no idea why he had even thought of volunteering for this, if it meant watching Cloud and Squall go all ga-ga mushy every so often, even if they didn't realize they were doing it. Reno glanced at him and cocked his head to one side quizzically. "Hey, are you okay, man?"

Zell looked at him, sighed, then nodded. "I guess."

"You sure? You looked sort of pissed about something."

"I said I was fine."

Reno raised an eyebrow. "Jeez, I was just askin'. It wasn't like I was asking you when you jacked off the last time."

"Last night, thanks for asking."

Reno shook his head. "You're insane."

Zell sighed again. The other man had no idea how true he was.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Oh my god... I just found out how much they changed the ages in Kingdom Hearts for the Final Fantasy characters. Squall, who's seventeen in FF8, is 25 in KH. Cid Highwind is 42 instead of 34. Selphie is 16 instead of 17. Cloud is 22 instead of 21. Squall's and Cid's ages bug me the most, though. Squall isn't supposed to be older than Cloud!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Three months passed, and the day of the festival finally arrived. The boys haunted house was a roaring success, as the seven sexiest guys in the school were running it. In the morning, before anybody else went through, Vincent was sent through, just to check that everything was working okay and it looked good.

Cloud and Squall's room was set up like an old castle, Squall being a 'vampire', and Cloud being his 'victim'. Vincent nodded at them when he passed by, and Squall found himself blushing slightly when he realized Vincent made a way better vampire than he would ever be.

The next room was set up like a butcher's shop, with human body parts instead of regular meat. The next part was Reno and Rude's exhibit. There was padding on the walls, and Reno was strapped to a chair, duct tape over his mouth. Rude was apparently the executioner, and as Vincent watched, no expression on his face, Rude flipped the switch.

The next room was set up as a parody of fairy tales, and the next was really the only room that Vincent loved. It contained Zack and a chainsaw. (A/N: Can't you just imagine that? I mean Zack plus a chainsaw. It sort of fits, right?) When Vincent walked in, Zack grabbed his arm and pulled him as close as he dared, placing the saw part of the chainsaw at his neck. He smiled. "Hey, Vince. Sort of kinky, huh?"

Vincent smiled slightly and nodded. Zack let go of his arm and dropped the chainsaw. "Well, have fun. Zell's stupid circus room is next."

Vincent nodded and went on. The next room's lights were activated by a trip wire, which you couldn't miss unless you stepped extremely high. Vincent, of course, tripped it, which set off a sort of freak circus, with blood and gore. Vincent shrugged slightly and went on.

Zell was in the next room, propping himself up against the wall. His was a sort of war zone, and he was dressed in a ll camouflage. He waved slightly at Vincent, who nodded back and smiled.

The next room was where he was supposed to be chained to the wall. He managed to get himself locked in, and then the festival started.

* * *

The last group of the day was two photographers from the school newspaper who wanted to see what all the buzz was about. When they arrived at Zack's room, the boy wasn't there. The photographers snapped a few pictures and moved on, thinking that is supposed to be a room where people could calm down.

When they got to where Vincent was, though, they had a field day. They didn't take pictures immediately, waiting to record the conversation on their tape.

Zack had pressed against the boy and tilted his face up. He was speaking to him gently but loudly, his voice shaking slightly. "Vincent, do you believe in love at first sight?"

"Why?"

"I do."

Vincent, who couldn't do anything because of the chains, looked up at Zack, his heart racing. "You're so close..."

"I have to ask you something."

The tone of his voice was making Vincent nervous. "Wh-What? Zack..." The other boy smelled good. His cologne was making Vincent hot, and he was finding himself inexplicably attracted to the other man.

Zack smiled, bringing his face closer to Vincent's. "Would you entertain the notion of being my boyfriend?"

"Uh..."

Zack looked away, pouting slightly. "I understand if you don't want to. After all, we _are_ both guys. It was wrong of me to ask."

"Actually, I was going to say yes..."

"Really?"

Vincent nodded. "Yeah... You seem like my type."

Zack brought his lips as close to Vincent's as he dared. "Can I kiss you?"

"S-sure..."

Zack put his lips against Vincent's, the kiss quickly growing heated. A flash went off, and Zack and Vincent looked up at the photographers, who were smirking. They snapped another picture of the shell-shocked pair and ran off.

* * *

The Monday after the festival (which was held on a Saturday), Zell Dincht bought the school newspaper for the first and last time in his life. He skimmed through it, eyes growing wide on the fifth page.

He ran to the place where the seven of them had taken to meeting in the morning and held out the newspaper, gasping for breath. "Look what they said about you in the... whoa..."

He abruptly stopped speaking when he saw Zack and Vincent. The pair was holding hands and glancing at each other every so often. Cloud and Squall were watching them, but Reno's attention was focused on Zell. Or, rather, the front page of the newspaper.

He grabbed it and started reading the article on the fifth page, which featured Zack and Vincent's kiss and predictions for where their relationship would lead. Reno sighed. "Looks like you're the only straight one left, Zell."

"I'm gay!"

"Um, not in the public eye. You'd have to do something like this to be gay." Reno paused and screamed, "Yo, look at me!"

When everybody in the vicinity was staring at the seemingly psychotic red head, he grabbed the front of Rude's shirt and pulled him down to eye level, kissing him strongly and roughly.

Rude's eyes shot open and he jerked away from Reno, coughing from the shock. "What the hell?"

Squall shook his head. "Maybe we should go somewhere tonight and just hang out. Forget about school, everything."

"Well, my dad might let us use his bar..."(A/N: That's Reno.)

"Sounds good."

* * *

Reno's dads bar was a cozy little place, with a pool hall and three tables. He gave them the place to their selves, as long as they drank responsibly and didn't end up having sex on the pool table, drunk out of their minds.

They acted as responsibly as teenage boys can, only Reno getting tipsy (though it was a bit hard to tell; he acted half drunk most the time anyway.)

Reno's father had probably been expecting the boys to bring girls, which is why he made the last rule. Well, no girls showed up, but the rule was still almost broken.

Zack had pinned Vincent to the pool table and was kissing his neck, breathing heavily an loudly. Vincent was in no better condition, as he had arched his back and was moaning.

They had started taking off each others clothes when Reno, who, however drunk he was, would have none of this, intervened. He pulled Zack off Vincent and spoke, sounding slightly angry. "No sex, you pervs! Especially not in front of the guys!"

Rude came over and put his hand on Reno's shoulder. "Chill out. We should probably head home."

The boys left the bar, Vincent leading. They were about to part ways when the muzzle of a gun was jammed into Vincent's mouth. Seifer was holding it, and now he grinned at Zack. "Hey. What's up?"

Zack forced a smile, unsure of what he was dealing with. "Nothing but the sky, man."

Seifer laughed, never taking his eyes off of Zack. "Funny. I wonder if you'll be half as funny as you are now when I blow his brains out the back of his head."

"Now, why would you do something like that?"

"Why, I don't like Cloud."

"So you've got a gun down my boyfriends throat?"

"Yeah. He's likes it anyway. Long hard shafts are what he prefers."

"I see."

Cloud was first to create a distraction by walking towards Seifer, holding his hands up. The taller blonde yanked the gun out of Vincent's mouth and pointed it at Cloud, his eyes wide. "Don't move."

Vincent's knees buckled from fear, and he collapsed, gaging and choking. Zack made to lean down and help him, and Seifer swung the gun towards the two black-haired men. Zack froze as Seifer began yelling. "Don't touch him, faggot, or I'll shoot you!"

Reno had been standing in the doorway this whole time, and now he reached for the taser/nightstick his father kept inside the door to break up bar fights. Unhooking it, he lunged forward, applying a small burst of electricity to Seifer's left arm.

The boy dropped the gun, which went off, the bullet piercing Vincent's right shoulder. The man yelled in agony and brought his left hand to the wound, teeth clenched in pain.

Reno hit Seifer over the head, and the blonde collapsed, bleeding. Reno kicked the gun away and looked at Vincent. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know."

"Should we take him to the hospital?"

Zack shook his head. "My house is close. I'll take him."

He picked Vincent up and walked off, talking to him softly. Vincent's face was pale drawn and he was muttering deliriously.

Squall dragged Seifer into the alley at the side of the bar and kicked him once in the stomach. Going back to the others, he smiled. "Vincent's going to be hurting in the morning."

Cloud looked at him quizzically. "W-why?"

"Well, by morning, Vincent will no longer be a boy. Zack's going to make him a man."

Zell laughed. "Squall's right, Cloud. Zack will go to any lengths to make sure Vincent loses his virginity because of him."

The boy's separated, Cloud and Squall getting into Squall's car, Reno and Rude mounting Reno's motorcycle, and Zell climbing into his pickup truck.

* * *

I went bungee jumping! Yeah! It was scary but fun, and my instructor was h-o-t! Does anyone know who the guy from Blue October is talking about in Hate me? His mom or his lover? 


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry I haven't updated in, like, forever. Shit has come up, but I still love y'all and I'll keep going 'til this is finished!

Chapter Nine

The next morning, Vincent and Zack arrived at school at together, bleary-eyed and tired. Reno walked up to them, eyes inquisitive. "Dang, you guys look tired. What happened last night?"

Zack favored the redhead with a tired, irritated glare. "What do you think? I dressed Vincent's wound and undressed him."

"Whoa. So you were going at it all night?"

Zack glanced at Vincent and shrugged. "Pretty much; yeah."

Reno blushed fervently. "I'm jealous… All I got from Rude was a goodnight kiss…"

Zack laughed slightly. "Well, it looks as if we all have someone. Except for Cloud and Squall, that is…"

Cloud looked up from where he was sitting on the steps of the school and blushed. "What?"

Zack smiled and pet Cloud's head fondly. "Don't act stupid. You two are so made for each other!"

"What?!"

Reno grinned and looked at Cloud closely. "Just admit you like him. It shows."

Cloud was shaking his head violently. "No way! Oh my god…" A hand went to his mouth in surprise. "Wa-wait…"

"Aha!"

Squall came out of the school and noticed Cloud and the others. He walked up behind Cloud and touched his shoulder softly. "What's going on?"

Reno laughed sadistically. "Cloud likes you."

Squall's eyes widened in surprise. "He's just started talking again and you managed to get that out of him? I'm impressed." He looked at Cloud, who was blushing so badly he was nearly maroon, and raised an eyebrow. "Is it true, Cloud?"

Cloud shook his head, looking more as if he were in the middle of some kind of muscle spasm than denying something. "N-no! I don't like you!"

Squall pouted. "That hurts me deeply, Cloud. So we're not friends?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

Squall smirked. "But if you don't like _me,_ then who _do_ you like?"

Cloud looked frantically from Squall to the others; he knew that Squall was already somewhat popular with the men, and he doubted that the brunette wanted to know that Cloud was actually deeply, madly in love with him. So, he blurted out the first name that came to mind. "Zell!"

Zell and Squall glanced at each other than back at Cloud. "What?!"

Cloud stumbled over his words, unsure of why he had just lied. "Y-you heard me… I… I like Zell…"

Zell blushed. "Wow… I had no idea…"

"Heh… Well, you do now… So… Wh-what do you say, Zell?"

Zell shrugged. "I sort of had my sights set on Squall… But, sure, why not? You're cute."

"You really think so?" Cloud discovered that it was easier for him to continue lying than go back and tell the truth.

"Yeah. Well, c'mon, I'll walk you to class." Zell put an arm around Cloud's shoulders and led him off, smiling mischievously. This was the perfect opportunity for him to prove that maybe if Cloud liked him, he would make a good boyfriend to Squall.

Squall stood there dejectedly, staring at the ground. "Damn…"

Zack came over to him and placed an arm around the brunette's shoulders. "Cheer up. He'll get tired of Zell and come running back to you."

Squall muttered, "Zack, go out with me."

Zack looked shocked. "What? I can't! I've got Vincent!"

Squall looked up at Vincent. "Vincent, can I borrow him for say, a week?"

Vincent shrugged. "Sure. He's mine at night, though."

Squall smiled slightly. "Okay. I don't have a problem with that."

Zack looked outraged. "Vincent!"

"What?"

"I'm your boyfriend! You can't just lend me to any random person on the street!"

Vincent regarded his lover calmly. "Squall's not exactly a 'random person', is he? Just do it. He needs his bitch back."

Squall glared at him. "Not my bitch."

"Okay… His lover, than."

"Better."

Zack shook his head. "Fine. Do what you will with me."

Squall raised an eyebrow. "Act like you actually like me."

"Like I like you?" Zack looked up at Squall, his eyes glinting with malice. "Fine. Whatever you say."

He threw his arms around Squall's neck and yelled, "Oh, Squall! I'm _so_ glad you asked me out!"

"Turn down the volume."

"I _love_ you! Wow, I'm absolutely thrilled!"

"Shut up…"

A crowd had gathered, speculating at what had happened between Cloud and Squall that had made them break up.


End file.
